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The Thing About Harry (2020)
Delivers on exactly what you would expect, although inconsistent and choppy
Let's start off by saying that what the movie represents is a step in the right direction. With all of the cheesy Hallmark, Freeform and Lifetime movies ou there, it is refreshing to see one with a gay lead. I can't say that I expect movies like these to be groundbreaking, but expect them to deliver on their promise. There are days where you simply enjoy sitting on a couch watching sappy romantic made-for-TV comedies and "The Thing About Harry" is just that.
What works: the movie is entertaining and doesn't take itself too seriously, so it provides laughs and a few thought provoking scenes. I also enjoyed the exploration of both gay and pansexual characters which in turn made the story more interesting and provided more drama and conflict between the protagonists.
What doesn't work: for a movie with such a short running time, it tries to fit way too much and doesn't completely develop any plot to its fullest. The movie focuses so much on what doesn't work about their relationship, that it fails to give time to highlight the positive. By the time they realize that they have fallen for each other, it comes almost out of left field. While I was rooting for them, I kept questioning why these two guys were so head-over-heels for one another if their relationship wasn't explored as much as it could have. This is turn makes the pacing of the story feel choppy, with too many time lapses to ever fully develop the story and romance (especially the rushed climax).
Although the movie comes across more as a collection of scenes glued together by a thin plot rather than a fully developed story, I can't say I disliked it. It delivers on being a cheesy romantic comedy that shows just how far we have come along in the world.
Miss Americana (2020)
The utter definition of white privilege in the US
I will start by saying that I've always struggled with the term "white privilege." Mostly because it gives the notion that a group of people should feel guilty for the privilege they were born into. But I must say that if you ever wonder what this term really means, just watch this documentary.
Taylor Swift has it all, she's tall, pretty, blonde haired, blue eyed, skinny, has more money than she can count, isn't very vocally talented but has somehow become one of the highest selling music artist of all time. Yet, this documentary tries to portray her as a victim. A victim because sometimes people say mean things about her. While I understand that being in the spotlight can be tough, one has to wonder why celebrities never consider this before the pursuit towards stardom.
I honestly think that her real issue is that she can't handle criticism. And if you can't handle that, maybe you shouldn't be in the spotlight. A classic example was her feud with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey after they made a joke about her at the Golden Globes. She made a big deal about how women don't empower one another, yadayada. This is coming from a singer who hosted Saturday Night Live and impersonated countless females celebrities in not the most flattering way. Again, the classic example of a rich, privileged white woman.
No, I don't feel sorry for her. No, she doesn't deserve our empathy because everyone has problems. Instead of complaining, she should count her blessings because she has a life most people envy. Grow up Taylor Swift and stop pretending like you have it bad.
It (2017)
An Interesting and Modern Take on a Familiar Story
"It" is one of those books that is nearly impossible to translate to visual media. Aside from the number of pages and attention to detail, the book is filled with symbolism and metaphors that will either got lost in translation or come across as ludicrous. I give a lot of credit to the 1990's mini series since it captured the overall essence of the book in what was considered a relatively short running time (still a 3 hr series!). What is interesting about this take on "It" is while a very good and entertaining movie, it misses to showcase exactly what make the book so terrifying. Having said that, I still enjoy the movie as to me it is, in my humble opinion a well made horror movie. Furthermore, while I disagree with many of the creative changes, I understand them from a broader appeal to the story in the interest of making profit.
The decision to change the childhood timeline from the 50's to the 80's is probably my biggest issue. Yes, from a commercial perspective, it makes sense. We are living in an age where the new hip thing is to throwback to the 80's a la Stranger Things. I appreciate a good 80's nostalgic piece, but it does not work well for this particular story.
Contrary to what the director and producer seem to believe, It is not merely a story about a killer clown. Granted, most people remember it as being that and truth be told, Pennywise is the reason we all gravitate towards this story, but what Pennywise and the town of Derry represents is much more sinister. I believe "It" ultimately tries to demonstrate the facade of the all american town and how its citizens go out of their way to ignore issues and sweep them under the rug. This is why the 50's setting worked so well with the story. Around this decade the fights for civil rights had begun and racial tensions were reaching their peak. Homosexuality was more than just taboo. We were just recovering from WW2. There are so many factors which add to the actions and behaviors of the characters.
Therefore, switching the setting to the 80's, while cool in theory, it completely detracts from the idea of destroying this fake 50's image of perfect all-Americana. In addition, the 80's was a decade represented by sex, drugs and rock and roll. While I'm not condoning those as necessarily bad things, they do represent a shift from the norm of what was considered "good."
The movie as a whole works well. The entire cast was excellent, which to be honest I had my doubts since the entire child cast in the original was phenomenal. This new cast manages to show some degree of familiarity with their overall dynamics, yet they retain true to creating their own characters. While Tim Curry's performance is difficult to top, Bill Skarsgard deliver a completely different take on Pennywise who comes across as a mentally unstable high school bully.
I'm still waiting for a faithful adaptation of the book. Preferably in like a 7-10 episode mini series. Until then, we have two worthy adaptations of the book that do not disappoint.